MY TRIP TO OZ

Whew...I am back from Denver. What a whirlwind that was! I had my egg retrieval...28 eggs!! Of the 28, 27 were mature and 26 fertilized. I spoke with John, the embyrologist, yesterday for my "day 3 update" of our "babies". Of our 26, they have all divided (grown). They would like to see them between 6 and 8 cells on day 3. 13 of ours are 6-8 cells...the othe 13 are only slightly behind. John said that this does not mean that they won't "catch up". We will get another update on day 5 and/or 6. At that time, they will remove some cells for genetic testing. The cells they will remove will come from what will be the placenta...not from the mass that will become the baby. The genetic counselor told me, or prepared me, that it is common for many of the embryos to be "abnormal" and to not feel like something is wrong with us.

I did get a little "sick" after my ER. By sick, I mean OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome). It was a mild case...I had it much worse with my first cycle. What happens is, after ER, free fluid collects in the follicles and around your organs. This can make you very bloated, very sore and uncomfortable and also hard to breathe. I had all these lovely symptoms, but again, not too bad compared to the first time. I am feeling much better now, thank God!

I will start my depot lupron (for my lining issue) with my next AF (Aunt Flo...period). This will be 2 shots, 30 days apart. So after the 60 days, I will go on bcp for 21 days overlapping the last 4 or 5 pills with lupron (more shots) to prepare for my FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer). This will most likely happen in July, I think.

Speaking of shots...I decided to do a little tally. To date, for this cycle only, mind you, I have had and/or given myself 52 shots (thigh, belly, hip), had 11 blood draws (and still counting), 1 IV (2 attempts and 2 shots to numb the area first) and approximately 90 acupuncture needles. That means I have been "stuck" about 157 times in the last month! yeouch!!! Of course, it will all be worth it in the end!